Parkland, AFSC make the cut

Parkland Income Fund continues to claw its way up the corporate rankings of an Alberta business magazine.

The Red Deer-based fuel retailer and wholesaler holds down the number 35 spot on Alberta Venture’s annual list of the province’s top 100 revenue earners. Last year Parkland was 39th and in 2007 it was 53rd.

For 2008, the company’s revenues were $2.3 billion.

Moving the opposite direction was Agriculture Financial Services Corp., a provincial Crown corporation headquartered in Lacombe that offers financial services to farmers. With 2008 revenues of $662 million, AFSC is ranked 76th on this year’s list — down from 56th last year and 60th in 2007.

Parkland and AFSC were the only Central Alberta companies to make the “Venture 100” rankings. But a “Next 100” list compiled by Alberta Venture saw Cervus LP — which relocated its head office from Red Deer to Calgary several years ago — capture 109th place with 2008 revenues of $349 million, and Red Deer’s High Arctic Energy Services Inc. take the 155th spot with $154 million in revenues.

Energy companies dominated the Venture 100, holding all of the top 10 positions. EnCana Corp. led the way with revenues of $32 billion, followed by Imperial Oil Ltd. ($31.2 billion) and Suncor Energy Inc. ($30.1 billion).

Other companies in the top 100 included Nova Chemicals Corp. in 12th place ($7.9 billion), Dow Chemical Canada Inc. in the 25th spot ($3.4 billion), Finning Canada in 27th ($3.2 billion), and United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Ltd. in 39th ($2.2 billion). Servus Credit Union, created last November with the merger of three credit unions, including Red Deer-based Community Savings, was 81st.

Servus, which had $583 million in revenues, is headquartered in Edmonton.

Last year, Community Savings was 141st on the Next 100 list.

Servus is also on two other Alberta Venture lists this year. It’s ninth among the top 50 private revenue earners, and 48th among the 50 biggest employers, with a payroll of 1,886.

Five educational organizations in Central Alberta made Alberta Venture’s list of the top 50 not-for-profit entities. These were Chinook’s Edge School Division in the number 22 spot ($100 million in revenues), Red Deer Public School District in 23rd place ($90 million), Red Deer College in the 25th ranking ($78 million), Wolf Creek School Division in 27th spot ($73 million) and Wild Rose School Division in 39th place ($54 million).

Alberta Venture’s 2009 rankings appear in the magazine’s September issue, and can also be accessed online at www.albertaventure.com/?p=3881.